Steam-boiler



( Model.)

W. BURNHAM. STEAM BOILER FEEDING DEVICE.

No. 394,828. Patented Dec. 18, 1888.

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i' q iiii 'iili "I I wil y l i E I I W I I 1) Mill" m I A v UNITED STATES PATENT @EETCE.

IVALTER BURNHAM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

STEAM-BOILER-FEEDING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,828, dated December 18, 1888.

Application filed February 21, 1888. Serial No. 264,812. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, \VALTER BURNHAM, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Steaml3oiler-l eeding Devices; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which forms a part of this specification.

This invention relates to devices for delivering liquids from a space or chamber subject to one pressure into a chamber subject to a higher pressureas, for example, the delivery of water from an open tank or from a hydrant into a steam-generator.

The object of the invention is to adapt the method set forth in an application for Patent, Serial No. 263,225, filed by lVilliam Irving, February '7, 1888, to situations where it is impracticable to employ a single return or lifting pipe of such height as to give a water column sufficient to balance the different pressures from the less to the greater of which the liquid is to be trz'msferred.

In the z'tccompanying drawing illustrating my invention, a steam-generator, and a series of chambers or vessels subject to graduated pressures are shown in vertical section and the pipe-connections thereof are shown in side elevation.

A is a generator, subject, say, to thirty pounds pressure; and B, C, and l) are tanks, subject to, say, twenty pounds, ten pounds, and one pound, respectively, above the atmosphere.

E represents a pipe leading into the tank D of lowest pressure from the elevated open tank E, or any othersource of supply adapted to deliver water into said tank I).

F is a steam-pipe connecting the generator with each of the several tanks, B C D, in any suitable way, and F F F are reducingvalves set to give in the several tanks the de sired degree of pressure, these connections being shown as one form of practicable means for establishing in the tanks the graduated pressures described.

G G G G G G are similar return or transfer pipes, each for transferring water from one chamber to the chamber of neXt higher pressure by means of a steam-flow, as set forth in said Irvings application for patent, but here shown as being provided with certain improvements at their receiving ends, as set forth in another application for patent filed by me of even date herewith-that is to say, each transfer-pipe comprises an ascending portion, G, having a drainage-col'mect-ion with a tank, (as 13,) and a descending portion, G, which enters the generator or a tank of higher pressure, the said descending portion containing a water column of height due to the difference in pressure to which the opposite ends of said water column are subject. Above the water column in the descending leg G is a space within the transfer-pipe, of less pressure than that of the tank from which it leads and in steam connnunication with said tank. Such less pressure may be the result either of radiation and condensation alone or of condensation assisted by escape through a valved discharge, g, or by escape alone, as in the case of a non-condensible fluid like air. By reason of such relatively-low pressure in the lif tin g-pipe above the water column, steam is caused to flow up the rising member G with greater or less rapidity, and in its flow it carries along with it small bodies of water admitted to the lower end of said member. The water so lifted is deposited in the leg G and ultimately enters the water-body in the tank or generator entered by said leg.

The difference in pressure between the lowpressure space in the lifting-pipe and that in the chamber from which it proceeds must manifestly be suflicient to cause a steam-flow adequate to the raising of the amount of water to be transferred. It is further manifest that the drop-leg or descending member G of the lifting-pipe must be long enough to contain the water column due to the difference in pressure between the said low-pressure chamber and the generator or tank of higher pressure. It follows that when water is to be transferred to a generator, (for example) taken from a chamber subject to a greatly less pressure than that of the generator, if a single transfer-pipe be used the latter must rise to a height above the water-level in the generator proportioned to this difference in pressure. Space for such an ascent may not be available or, if space be available, other objeetions to its use maybe present. \Vherefore an intermediate tank or a series of intermediate tanks with graduated, though not: necessarily uniform, increase of. pressures is introduced, as shown, the difference of pressure betwm-n any two adjacent or connect ed tanks of the. series being so small that a coni paratively low transfer- 'iipe, (-t G, may be used.

Thus in the drawing a pipe, G t, connects the tank I) with the tank which pipe has a vmtical length of drop-leg G, adapted to contain a water colunm (above water-level in ('1) only, or, for safety, little more than equal to the balancing of pressures differing by nine pounds, this being the difference between the pressures assumed, to be established in said tanks, r(-spectively, by the redneing-valve i So between tanks (7 and I there is a difference in n'essure of ten p'oumls, and between the tanks ll and A there is also a dift'erimce of ten pounds, and the return or lifting pipes connecting and It and l and A are adjusted in height to proximate this di fferenee in pressure. While each pipe G G is therefore adapted, to a water column not much higher than is due to a ('lil'ti'erenee of ten pounds, they are together adapted to contain an aggregate of twenty-nine pounds of watta'head with a corresponding lifting capacity, so that by their aggregate energies water is carried to the generator A against twenty-nine pounds greater pressure than that: of the tank I) from which it is taken.

Manit'estly any number of intermediate tanks may be employed in the series, and their differences in pressure may be made so small that water may be automatically fed by the apparatus from any source of supply under some degree of pressure to a goncaattor, A, no matter how high the 'n'essure to which the latter may be subjeeted.

The pipe E, which supplies water to the tank I), is here shown in full lines as leading from a tank, E, open to the atmosphere, and itself fed from. a faucet, c, discharging from a pipe, E or from, an exhaust-pipe, E, leading from an engine. The head on the pipe E must in this case be equal to the delivery of water-against the one-pound pressure above atmosphere in the tank I). The pipe E is shown in dotted lines as connected directly with the pipe 11 which may be supposed to be under pressure, as when connected. with a city water-supply system. The pipe E may also be understood to be part ot the returnpipe of said Irving system, and I) the lowpressure chamber of that return. The tanks U 1-3, &c., and the pipes G i become in that case the continuation. of the Irving returnpipe. The power of the Irving return system may thus be very greatly augmented, while occupying but little vertical space for the water columns.

As explained in my l)efore-meutioned application for patent, the two entiranewpipes, g and g, 1.'es] )eetively for water and steam,

and provided with valves, as shown, are for the better control of the movements of water and steam through the lili'ting-' )i )e, of which they form part.

The apparatus will manifestly operate in connection with the return of a steam-lieating apparatus, or when steam instead of water, or steam and water, are supplied to the tank 1). It will. also operate if the valve 0 be closed and the redueilig-val ves F F, &e., are omitted, or are fully opened, so as to admit steam at, or practically at, boiler-pressure to each of the tanks. If the valves I If", &e., be adjusted to give graduated. pressures in the series of tanks, and steam, or steam and water, or water alone, be supplied to the tank I) at first at ahigh or even fulll)oiler-pressure, and the pressure of such supply be grzulually or suddenly reduced, the apparatus will work, and will adjust itself to such. change of press uro in the water or stean'l supplied by automatic variation in the water-legs. In short, the apparatus will,bymeansof such variable water columns, adjust itself automatically to any order of ehanges in pressure on the tank I).

It is to be understood that under the term steam, as herein employm'h'is to be included any other lluid with which the apparatus will operate.

I claim as my invention" 11. The combination, with a generator or chamber under n'essure and a liquid-supply pipe under pressure less than that of the generator, of a tank connected with and receiving from the supply-pipe and subject to steam -prcssure in degree intermediate to those of the generator and si'ip'p'ly-pipe, and a traiister-pipe taking steam and liquid from the tank and connected at its opposite end with the generator, said transfer-pipe having a descendingportion, whieh contains a liquid column due to the unequal pressures above and below said column.

The combination, with a liquid-supply pipe, as E, subject at itsdelivery end to pressure, and a steam generator or chamber subject to a pressure greater than that of the supply-pipe, ot' a tank, D, having a receivingeonnection with the supply-pipe, a steampipe leading from the steam generator or chamber to the tank D, and provided with a reducing-valve, and a transfer-pipe eonneetin g the tank and stIean'i-eliamber, an d provided with a descending portion, G, containing a water column due to the difference in prossures above and below said. column.

33. The eoml rination, with a steam-gen erator, of a series of tanks or chambers, steam-coin neetions provided. with rmlucing valves, wherebygraduated pressures lower than that; of the generator may be establisheifl in the series of tanks, a series of rising and descending transfer-pipes, each. taking water and steam from one tank and discharging into the water-space of the. tank or chamber of next h igherpressu re, and means lordeliveri ng water into the tank of lowest pressure.

4. The combination, with a chamber subtransfer-pipe connecting the chamber of inject to steam-pressure and a chamber subject termediate pressure with the chamber of highto lower steam-pressure, of a chamber subject est pressure. to an intermediate steam-pressure, a transfer- In testimony that I claim the foregoing as 5 pipe taking steam and liquid from the chammy invention I affix my signature in presence 15 ber of lowest pressure and discharging into of two witnesses. the chamber of intermediate pressure, said \VALTER BURN HAH. pipe having a descending portion which con- \Vitnesses: tains a liquid column due to the unequal M. E. DAYTON, IO pressure above and below it, and a similar 4 TAYLOR E. BROWN. 

